training

Spring WFA Courses at Camp Snyder

February 13, 2023 by Outdoor Preparedness Initiative

Get Wilderness First Aid certified! Through our Outdoor Preparedness Initiative (OPI), NCAC offers Wilderness First Aid training (WFA) once a month at Camp Snyder in Haymarket, VA. Be prepared for a BSA national or local high adventure, a unit trip, or just outdoor adventure in general. If you are attending NCAC’s Lenhok’sin High Adventure – whether you are backpacking on the Trail Trek or whitewater canoeing on the River Trek – you need at least one crew member with Wilderness First Aid training.

OPI’s spring course dates are on the calendar! Courses fill up fast, so be sure to sign up soon.

March 25-26, 2023
April 22-23, 2023
or
May 20-21, 2023

Visit www.ncacbsa.org/opi-wfa to learn more and select your course.

OPI provides certification through the American Red Cross. The training is for adults and youth ages 14 and up.

Looking for more information on High Adventure? Check out www.gotogoshen.org/lenhoksin for information on Lenhok’sin High Adventure programs and visit www.ncacbsa.org/high-adventure to learn about opportunities provided by NCAC’s High Adventure Committee.

Register NOW for World-Class Leadership Training !!!

June 19, 2022 by Craig Weston

New and seasoned Scouters, you have the opportunity to take WORLD-CLASS leadership training offered by NCAC. It is easily the equivalent of the best corporate management and leadership programs!

The course is Wood Badge, a 103 year-old course first taught by Baden-Powell and most recently updated in 2020 for our era of Scouting. The next course will be taught this early fall at Camp Snyder.

Over the course of two weekends in September and October, Scouters will immerse themselves in engaging, interactive instruction and live the life of a Scout. For some, it will be a life-changing experience! For everyone, it will be a FUN and fulfilling event, lead by a well-experienced and trained staff of Scouters.

A great side benefit are the Scouting friends and connections participants make to help them in their future work with our youth. It is designed for Scouters working at the unit, district and the council level. Whatever your Scouting position, you will benefit from this course!

Get Wilderness First Aid Certified with NCAC

December 6, 2021 by Phil

The Outdoor Preparedness Initiative (OPI) offers Wilderness First Aid certification with CPR/AED. OPI aims to prepare Scouts, Scouters, and outdoor enthusiasts for high adventure activities and other outdoor adventures. Certification is provided through the American Red Cross. Courses are being offered at Camp Snyder in Haymarket, VA on the weekends of November 20-21 and December 18-19.

When attending national and local high adventure bases, at least one member of the crew needs to be certified in Wilderness First Aid. Please check out the information for the high adventure base you are attending to learn more about their specific requirements.

Camp Snyder Campmasters – Join the Team!

December 2, 2021 by Justin Day

Calling all friends of Camp Snyder! Have you been out to Camp Snyder and met our amazing Camp Ranger, Ryan? Did you know that there is a group of volunteers who help Ryan take care of the camp each weekend? That group is the Camp Snyder Campmaster Corps.

Each weekend, one member of the corps comes out and works checking in and checking out visitors, watching over the camp, and making sure that the visitors are having a good visit while on the camp property. The corps covers every weekend from September 1 through the first weekend of June. As you can imagine we need a strong group who are willing to commit to coming out a couple weekends each year to help with coverage. We are reaching out to the Scouting community to extend an invitation to join the corps.

We will be holding an information/training session on Saturday, December 11th from 1pm – 2pm in the Dining Hall at Camp Snyder. The session will cover the expectations of a Campmaster, what a weekend typically looks like, and customer service. If you are interested in learning more about the program and/or joining, please come out on the 11th!

What: Camp Snyder Campmaster Information Session
Where: Camp Snyder Dining Hall
When: December 11
Time: 1pm – 2pm

No advance sign ups necessary!

Get more information on Campmasters at www.gotosnyder.org/work-volunteer/campmaster

Improve your Skills as an Adult Leader!

February 8, 2021 by Christopher Cooper

The only way to improve in any job is to continually learn and practice! As Scouting Leaders, we do not have to figure all of this ourselves, we do not live in a vacuum. There are many opportunities to learn from others and share our experiences. As leaders, we can learn from our peers by attending our District Roundtables and taking additional training so we are always learning and growing. The University of Scouting provides a one-day event where we can choose from a host of classes to improve our toolbox!

The University of Scouting has something for every Scout Leader, whether you are a few months into the role, or a seasoned veteran. This year we will conduct a virtual training event on Saturday, February 27, 2021. Here’s what your fellow NCAC Scouters have to say about last year’s UoS:

Someone quite wise once suggested, “Every Scout deserves a trained leader.” Attending the University of Scouting is an easy way to continue my training as a leader. And I believe our Founder Lord Baden-Powell said, “The Scoutmaster teaches boys to play the game by doing so himself.” Well, I may not be a Scoutmaster but I trying to teach Scoutmasters how to play the game of Scouting. Where better — during this COVID19 pandemic — than in the University of Scouting? – John L.
I am coming up on 2 years in my current position, and I feel like I know a thimbleful of what I need to in order to be the best leader I can be for Scouts. UoS gives me someplace to learn and to strengthen those areas I feel weaker in. That includes learning from fellow Scouters and not just the Scouter leading the session. It’s a fantastic way to learn, network, and build relationships across the Council. I strongly encourage all the registered Scouters in my Troop to attend each year. Heck, I would encourage my older Scouts and youth leaders to attend as well if they could. – John S.
As a female, I didn’t participate in Boy Scouts of America as a child. I went to my first University of Scouting to help increase my own knowledge as a new leader. As my husband – an Eagle Scout, then Cubmaster, then Scoutmaster – and I got involved more deeply as Scouters, we valued “Every Scout deserves a Trained Leader” and continued to attend the University of Scouting. “Inspiration” and “plagiarism” are very close siblings and every year at UoS I am inspired by somebody or something to improve the program for our Cub Scout daughter or Scouts BSA son. As the years go on, I hope I can be an inspiration to others on their Scouting journey. – Jodi B.
I have been attending, as well as teaching Boy Behavior, at the NCAC University of Scouting for almost twenty years. I hold a PhD from both the College of Boy Scouting Science and the College of Cub Scouting Science. I attend every year because you can always learn new things, learn new ways to do things, learn what are the latest changes to Scouting, and enjoy the wonderful teachers and attendees that attend this outstanding NCAC event! It is also an opportunity to meet and talk with people on the midway from both Scouting and non-Scouting organizations. – William T.

Join these Scout Leaders and others at the University of Scouting!

University of Scouting 2021 – Virtual Learning

January 26, 2021 by Christopher Cooper

Has the pandemic put a hamper on your Scouting program? Do you want to improve your Scouting Unit’s performance, or want to add some pizazz to your program? If so, register for the 2021 Virtual University of Scouting!

The University of Scouting is the National Capital Area Council’s largest one-day training event offering fun classes for all Scouting Volunteers. This training includes learning opportunities for every volunteer from a Pack, Troop, Crew, Ship, Post, Lab, District, or Council. Every volunteer, new or seasoned, are welcomed and encouraged to attend. This year, the entire event is virtual.

The University of Scouting offers more than 150 classes in 5 different “colleges.”

• The College of Cub Science is for adult volunteers whose primary focus is on the Cub Scout Program. Find information on how to make your meetings more energetic and purposeful. Learn about Family Scouting and the Lions program.

• The College of Scouts BSA focuses on scouting from the ranks of Scout to Eagle. Information on how to run, and maintain a youth-run Troop. Discover the secret to challenging the youth on their advancement and camping.

• The College of Adventure provides you with information and resources for your older youth in Scouts BSA, Venture Crews, Explorer Posts, and Sea Scouting. Learn how to take the next step in challenging your older youth.

• The College of General Studies has many classes that will improve any unit, with classes covering the Unit, District and Council operations, Social Media usage, online Scouting, and the STEM program.

The University of Scouting’s Course Guide provides a course description of every offered class.

There is something for everyone! Register and secure your spot in the class of your choice! Join us and take part in a broad spectrum of individual classes that will strengthen each volunteer’s ability to deliver an excellent program for our youth. The cost to attend the University of Scouting is $20.

The College will run on February 27, 2021. Classes start at 9:00 AM and end at 3:50 PM. They will all start on the hour and run for 50 minutes. There will be a ten-minute break at the end of each class, providing time to log into the next class. Attendees may attempt to log into their class about five minutes before the start of each class.

Noontime Assembly – The noontime keynote presentation is from the NCAC Scout Executive Craig Poland. No other classes will take place during this time. We will hear from Mr. Poland, who will update us on the state of scouting in the NCAC and Nationally. We also recognize an outstanding NCAC “Trainer” with the 2021 D. Andrew Grafton Award.

The Zoom links for the training will be sent to each registered adult volunteer a week before the training.